Folding poultry-crate.



PATENTED APR. 28, 1903. A. MCDONALD- FOLDING POULTRY CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9. 1902.

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No. 726,333. PATENTED APR. 2a, 1903. A. MoDONALD. FOLDING POULTRY CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1902.

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I @7/ex ((#676/ 6 M d u 1 MW 9 m: nonms runs 0a., WoTo-umm. wasmnsmu, by c 'Nrrn ALEXANDER MCDONALD, OF ASHLEY, OHIO.

VFOLDBNG POULTRY-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 726,333, dated April 28, 1903. Application filed June 9, 1902. "SerialNo.11 Q,8 96. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that LALEXANDER MCDONALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashley, in the county of Delaware and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Poultry- Crates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7

My invention relates to folding or knockdown poultry-crates. Its object is to provide a device of this character which is cheap, simple, and durable in construction, which will be very strong and secure when set up for use and occupy but little space when folded, and one in which the cover may be used for locking the parts together in both the open and folded position.

With this and other objects, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, it further consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafterfull y described,'claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a perspective view of'a crate embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical longitudi nal section through the crate in its opened position. Fig. 3 is a similar view through the crate in its folded position. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of thecrate in its opened position with parts broken away to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 5 is a plan View of the parts in the folded position with the cover removed, and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the sliding belt or fastening device.

In the drawings, 1 designates the base or bottom of the crate, which. is provided with the side cleats or strips 2 and the end cleats or strips 3. The uppersurfaces of all of these cleats are beveled inwardly, as shown at 4,

The ends of the cleats 3 arerounded crate, which has the ends of its lower strip rounded to form the journals 9, about which thehinge straps or loops 10 are passed and secured to the ends of the side cleats 2 on the base 1.

The frames 7 and 8, which form the ends.

and sides of the crate, may be covered with wire, as illustrated in the drawings, or may be slatted or made in any desiredmanner, and the under side or face of each of the lower strips of the side and end frames are beveled, as shown at 4., for a purpose hereinafter described. I

In order to strengthen the crate when in its opened position and prevent the ends from falling inwardly, I provide the sides of the the ends and sides of the crate when in the opened position by means of the sliding bolts 17, secured to the under side of the cover, entering openings 18, formed in theendsof the crate. The construction of the bolt will be readily understood upon referring to Figs. 6 and 7. The bolt 17 is mounted to slide upon the block 1S, which is secured to the underside of the cover by having its free end guided in the box or bearing19 and its opposite end bent at right angles and projecting up through the slot 20 in the block 18. A head or disk 21, secured to the bent end of the bolt 17, and a washer or disk 22, held in place by a springkey 23, retain the bent end of the bolt in the slot 20. It will be seen that the block 18 is secured to the cover so that the bent end of the bolt projects up between two of the slats in order that the bolt may be easily operated.

, In folding my crate the ends 7 are first folded down upon the bottom 1, and owing to the beveled surfaces 4 and 4!. coming together the ends will lie flat upon the bottom. The sides 8 are then folded down upon the ends 7,

and owing to the beveled surfaces 4 and 4 the sides will also lie flat upon the ends. The cover 13 is then placed in position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the sliding bolts 17, projected through the staples or keepers 24, se cured to the end' strips 3. It will thus be seen that the cover securely holds the parts together, both in the open and closed positions, and the crate when folded occupies but very little space and when open is exceedingly strong and durable.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation, and advantages of the invention will be readily understood Without requiring an extended explanation.

Various changesin the form, proportion, and details of construction may be made within the scope of the invention Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Afoldingpoultry-cratecomprisingabottom provided with beveled side and end cleats and with keepers upon its ends, said end cleats being provided with journals, said side cleats being provided with hinge-straps, folding ends having their lower faces beveled to coact with the beveled upper faces of the end cleats and having hinge-straps to encompass the journals on the end cleats and having apertures in their tops adapted to receive locking-bolts, and apertures in their ends to receive locking-pins or dowels, folding sides having their lower faces beveled to coact with the beveled upper faces of the side cleats and having journals encompassed by the hingestraps carried by the side cleats of the base and having pins or dowels to engage the apertures in the ends, a cover provided with a rim-flange adapted to engage the sides and ends of the crate in both the folded and open position and having apertures in its end flanges, and sliding bolts carried by said cover adapted to lock the parts in the open position by being passed through the apertures in the ends and cover of the crate and to lock the same in the folded position by being engaged with the keepers upon the base, substantially as set forth.

2. A folding poultry-crate comprising a base, cleats upon the ends of said base-having their upper surfaces beveled inwardly, having journals upon their ends and provided with keepers, cleats upon the sides of said base 'end cleats and having apertures in its top to receive a locking-bolt, and apertures in its ends to receive a dowel or pin, sides provided with journals at their ends adapted to be encompassed by the hinge-straps upon the side cleats of the base to permit the same to be folded down upon the ends of the crate and to lie parallel with the base, and provided with dowels or pins adapted to engage the apertures in the ends of the crate to lock the same in an upright position, a cover formed with a rim-flange adapted to engage and lock the ends and side of the crate in both the opened and folded positions and having apertures in its end flanges to receive lockingbolts, and sliding boltscarried by said cover adapted to lock the same to the base Whenthe parts are folded by being engaged with the keepers upon the end cleats of the base and to lock the cover upon the ends and sides when the crate is opened by being passed through the apertures inthe ends of the crate and the end flanges of the cover, substantially as set forth.

3. A folding poultry-crate comprising a base provided with keepers upon its ends,ends adapted to fold upon the base and provided with apertures in their tops adaptedtobe engaged by bolts, sides adapted to be folded upon the ends, a cover formed with a rimfiange adapted to engage the sides and ends in both the opened and closed positions,blocks secured .to the under side of the cover at each end thereof and provided with bearings and slots, bolts slidably mounted in the bearings upon said blocks and having one end bent and projecting through the slots in said blocks andheld in position by keys, and the other end adapted to be projected into said keepers upon the base to lock the parts in the folded position and to be projected into the aperture in the ends of the crate and the end flanges of the cover, to lock the parts in an open position, substantially as set forth;

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER MCDONALD.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL R. HARRIS, O. WoRNsrAFF. 

